Portable Shoe Horn

ABSTRACT

A shoe horn device which is in the form of a card-like planar structure with one side smooth and the other side with a surface treatment the resists movement, also referred to as the rough side. The device is portable and compact such that it can easily be used to allow the user to put on shoes and then easily be packed away in a wallet or pocket book. The device is also capable of providing a method to present contact or marketing information like a business card, as well as magnetic strip information, like a credit card, rewards card, or gift card. The display device can be constructed of acrylic, plastic, glass, or metal or some other material with similar properties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to a shoe horn and more particularly to a compact heel slide that uses surface treatment to aid in the putting on of a shoe.

2. State of the Art

Conventional shoe horns are made up of a rigid material, usually plastic or metal, with a bulky curved shape.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,607 describes a compact shoe horn of flexible material which is able to fit in a wallet. However this prior patent is aided by the planar shape of the device rather than surfacing. Therefore its configuration less resembles the card geometry of conventional marketing and transactional cards, such as a business card or a credit card.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is to aid in the putting on of shoes through surfacing. The said device is planar with two surfaces, one encouraging movement (smooth) and one resisting movement (rough). In the process of using the device to put on a shoe, the smooth side is against the heel of the foot and the rough side is against the top back interior of the shoe. The said device can have a compact geometry that resembles conventional cards that fit into a wallet, such as business cards, credit cards, or advertising cards.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a 3d model of the device.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a 3d model of the device. 1 denotes one of many protrusions meant to resist movement.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the device. 2 denotes a rigged method to resist movement.

FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4 correspond with information shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8 respectively. The perspective is changed to further illustrate the invention.

Variations

In addition to the variations mentioned above and below, the system can be varied such that:

Patterns of protrusions are only illustrative. Patterns can be varied for efficiency, ascetics, or any other reason. Protrusions are not necessary if another means of resistance to movement is used.

It is possible that patterns can be created through a means similar to that of credit card making. In such case, it is possible that one side may have pocks, or indents.

Image or text printing can be within or on any side or edge of the device.

Magnetic strips can be within or on any side or edge of the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is further explained to be:

Planar member with two sides, one side had a method to resist movement, such as ribbed or rubberized, or patterns of protrusions to increase friction.

Other side is smooth with minimal or no projections or surface treatment to resist movement

Ridged side is meant to engage back interior portion of foot covering (shoe, boot, moccasin) while smooth side allow for the heel of foot to slide into shoe.

It is understood that the preceding description is given merely by way of illustration and not in limitation of the invention and that various modification may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. 

I claim the following:
 1. A planar shoe horn device having two sides, one with a surface encouraging sliding against said surface, and the other resisting sliding against said surface, all for the purpose of aiding in the putting on of a shoe.
 2. The device in line 1 has a size that permits ease of inserting in conventional portable containers such as a wallet or pocket book.
 3. The device in line 1 has a geometry that allows for replacement of the conventional information and transactional cards, such as business cards, credit cards, gift cards. 